Elise Darcy Newsletter ~ Summer 2017 Issue

SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2017 for website copy

This month’s issue of Up on the Roof is brought to you from The Roof Terrace, Els Calderers, De Sant Joan, Mallorca.

For those readers new to the Elise Darcy Newsletter they are called Up on the Roof because  I love rooftop gardens. Where possible I endeavour to write each newsletter on a different rooftop, be it a rooftop garden, café or restaurant.

Research for my new novel which is making good headway took me on an unexpected journey to Mallorca which is the largest of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain.  I was really looking forward to this trip but having settled down in the aircraft with around fifteen minutes to take off we were then informed by the pilot that there was a two-hour delay before departure so a short two-hour flight turned into a four-hour journey.  I alighted at Palma airport in torrential rain and was starting to feel maybe leaving Blighty was not such a good idea after all.  Having not driven abroad for a while I collected the hire car with some trepidation and with the wind and rain lashing the windscreen I edged out onto the motorway for my journey to the north of the Island.

No matter how many times you travel in Europe it’s still a shock to the system to get off a plane and see people driving at break-neck speed on the ‘wrong’ side of the road.  After a few minutes however, your mind tends to adapt, that is until you return to the UK when you attempt to get in the left side of your car wondering who stole your steering wheel whilst you were away!!

I had rented a little Spanish house for a few days in a quiet rural area just outside the historic town of Pollensa with wonderful views of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.  The surrounding landscape is beautiful and has been a cradle of artists (painters, writers, sculptors and poets) for many years, and was where I hoped to gain inspiration for my next book.  Settling in to the relaxed way of life here where you could while away days just listening to the birds singing I had to remind myself this was in part a working holiday.  So setting off the next day to discover some of the highlights of this area I visited a wonderful old Mallorcan manor house called Els Calderers which was built in the 18th century.  Each of the rooms in this gorgeous house was set out to reflect a bygone era and gave a glimpse of what life would have been like for landowners in Mallorca in times gone by. In fact it had such a real ambiance with each room set up portraying a true reflection of how the gentlemen and ladies lived in the past, that I half expected its original owners to walk through the door.

Later during my stay and with increased confidence of the vagaries of driving on the opposite side of the road, I attempted the journey up winding roads with some hairpin bends into the mountains to visit the monastery at Lluc.  It really is a pilgrimage to get there as the roads are narrow and fairly scary but the setting in the mountains is truly breath-taking.  The monastery is now run as a choir school and I was lucky to arrive in time for a performance by some of the pupils which was a wonderful experience.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Do join me for the next issue of ‘Up on the Roof’ when I will update you with the forthcoming release of my next book.

I look forward to catching up with you soon.

Best wishes

Elise Darcy